What is brake horsepower

Learn More About brake horsepower. Share brake horsepower Post the Definition of brake horsepower to Facebook Share the Definition of brake horsepower on Twitter. Statistics for brake horsepower Look-up Popularity. Style: MLA. Get Word of the Day daily email! Test Your Vocabulary. Test your visual vocabulary with our question challenge! Need even more definitions? Just between us: it's complicated.

Bhp appears to be the figure usually calculated and used in Europe, while hp is used in the United States. Horsepower is measured using a tool called a simple dynamometer, while bhp uses a brake type dynamometer.

From this data, horsepower can be calculated. One horsepower equals 33, foot-pounds of work per minute. Other sources give alternative definitions, with some stating that hp has losses subtracted from it and is typically less than bhp. One source cites horsepower as the output of a mechanical or electrical system, while the brake horsepower is the output of only the engine the exact opposite of what we state above.

In this definition, hp determines the efficiency of an entire system, while bhp is just for the engine. As you may imagine, this merely adds to the confusion. So, let this be a reminder to resist the allure of certainty and embrace the ambiguity at the heart of our existence. He found that one horsepower equated to roughly 33, foot-pounds per minute of work and consequently, the definition of one horsepower came into being.

The metric equivalent of a single horsepower, referred to as 1 PS, equals 4, kilogram-metres per minute, which rounds to 32, foot-pounds per minute, or 0. The horsepower rating of an engine is usually measured on a dynamometer, which is a form of mechanical brake used to apply variable loads to a running engine so that torque and power may be calculated at different engine revs — hence brake horsepower which is always quoted at a given RPM.

UK laws explained. Only engineers tend to talk about indicated horsepower, and then just amongst themselves. However, it is worth noting, that depending on who you speak to, wheel horsepower and BHP are often used interchangeably — again adding to the confusion.